68 SPORT IN BENGAL. 



stone, and far more commonly below eleven, the Arab was 

 well up to my weight for hog-hunting and hacking ; more- 

 over, if taken in hand when young, and properly treated, he 

 can be taught everything a horse should do. Lastly, his 

 sweetness of disposition and temper, as well as his pluck and 

 endurance, more than make up for his little weaknesses. 



Considering how this sport is followed, the number of 

 serious accidents to the riders is comparatively small ; broken 

 arms, legs, and collar-bones are, of course, to be expected 

 where the ground is rough and, as is often the case, com- 

 pletely hidden by grass and jungle, but fatal mishaps are 

 rare. Small cuts and bruises in the foot and leg are not 

 uncommon, and now and again a dismounted hunter is heard 

 of as being wounded by the boar's tusks. I once witnessed 

 a serious case of this last nature. 



Hunting with the old Tent Club, T. M. K and I, having 

 disposed of our pig, and riding leisurely back to our starting- 

 point to await our turn for the next run, noticed a knot of 

 dismounted men standing round something white upon the 

 ground, which, on nearer approach, we perceived to be one 

 of our friends Captain R. who, it appeared, had been 

 much cut up, and lay bleeding freely from a number of 

 wounds on his legs and arms, but none of them, most for- 

 tunately, proving dangerous, he recovered completely in a 

 month or six weeks. R.'s account of the accident was that 

 he was suddenly charged as he was riding alone by a very 

 large hog, which started out of the marsh round which we 

 were hunting that day, and, coming straight at him, knocked 

 his horse's forelegs from under him, and brought him down 

 on his head. R., on falling off, was at once attacked as he 

 lay disarmed on his back, kicking desperately at his assailant, 

 who, however, succeeded in getting in several times and in- 

 flicting some bad cuts. The hog then seized R. by one of his 

 hands, and having got over him, commenced a still more 

 serious attack, when a happy thought struck R., who, 

 promptly acting upon it, drew his " pugree " off his helmet 

 with his disengaged hand, and wrapped it round his enemy's 



